Sapporo had been considered the frontrunner for the hosting rights although Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto has insisted that the bid is not being abandoned but merely put on hold.

"We recognise we cannot move forward unless we review our operations for the 2030 Games and show that to the world," Akimoto said.

"To start with, we have to take into consideration the case of the bid-rigging allegations.

"We will discontinue for some time any aggressive effort on such activities.

"We will review our bid to gain the true understanding of the people of the city."

Last week, Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki, also a vice-president of a joint public-private promotion committee supporting the city's bid, admitted that the scandal had been a blow to Sapporo's chances.

The ongoing corruption saga has led to the resignation of former ADK Holdings President Shinichi Ueoni while former Tokyo 2020 Executive Board member Haruyuki Takahashi has been served with four charges.

Chairman of the Kadokawa Corporation publishing company Tsuguhiko Kadokawa has also been charged in relation to the scandal and has been accused of paying bribes to Takahashi.

The development leaves Salt Lake City as the only viable candidate for 2030 or 2034.

Vancouver's bid is on the ropes after the Government of British Columbia announced it would not fund a bid, with costs estimated to be at about $1 billion (£825 million/€941 million).

The International Olympic Committee said earlier this month that it might delay its decision on the 2030 host until 2024.

It was expected to be made next year but the Tokyo scandal also presented issues, with both 2030 and 2034 hosts potentially being declared at the same time.

The level of support for Sapporo's bid cannot be truly known after city officials decided not to hold a public referendum as public votes on funding the Olympics have regularly failed.

It has been estimated that the Games in Sapporo would cost between ¥297 billion (£1.85 billion/$2.25 billion/€2.1 billion) and ¥317 billion (£1.9 billion/$2.4 billion/€2.2 billion).

Salt Lake City has said it would prefer 2034, partly because it does not want to clash for sponsorships with the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Japan has staged the Winter Games on two previous occasions with Sapporo playing host in 1972 followed by Nagano in 1998.